88 killed, 42 injured in plane crash in Thailand

Rescue workers stand near the site of a plane which crashed at the Phuket airport Sept. 16, 2007. A budget airliner crashed on the Thai resort island of Phuket on Sunday, killing 88 people as it broke up trying to land in driving rain and burst into flames, a senior Thai official said. (Xinhua Photo)

A passenger plane has crashed in southern Thailand as it was trying to land at Phuket International Airport. The crash killed 88 people and injured 42. Nearly two thirds of the passengers were foreigners.

The MacDonnel Douglas MD 82 plane was operated by the Thai budget carrier One-Two-Go. It had 130 persons aboard, including 123 passengers and seven crew.

Authorities have not confirmed the exact number of foreign or Thai victims. But they say the dead included Irish, Israeli, Australian and British citizens. Iranian and Swedish nationals were also on board.

Officials at the scene say the aircraft crashed in a downpour after a failed landing attempt. It skidded off the runaway and broke into two parts.

Services at the Phuket International Airport have been suspended while airport workers and emergency personnel cleared the runway of wreckage in the aftermath of the crash.

Authorities say the Phuket airport is expected to resume operations at 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Investigation of the crash cause is still underway. Heavy rain,strong winds and poor visibility at the landing time were suspected to be part of the reason.

Phuket in southwest of Thailand is one of Southeast Asia's most popular tourist destinations.

The One-Two-Go airline was Thailand's first low cost airline and started operating no-frill flights in 2003.

Sunday's crash was the country's deadliest aviation accident since 1998, when 101 people were killed after a Thai Airways plane crashed while trying to land in heavy rain.